The Benefits of Early Childhood

At-risk children who do not participate in high-quality early education are:

25% more likely to drop out of school

40% more likely to become a teen parent

50% more likely to be placed in special education

60% more likely to never attend college

70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime

What develops?

From birth to age five, a child’s brain architecture is being built at a rapid rate. In fact, we know that 90% of brain development occurs before age 5. This foundation lays the social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive skills for our children’s future success.

How is brain architecture built?

Brain architecture is built through the caring and responsive relationships with the important adults around them such as parents, grandparents, child care providers and preschool teachers. The back and forth interactions and responsiveness build the social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive skills that are the foundation for all academic, social and economic success.

What is effective?

Comprehensive high-quality early childhood programs provide a safe, language-rich environment with warm and responsive staff that have the skills to support young children’s development. They help build a pipeline for our children’s success that leads to improved school readiness, a decrease in the achievement gap, increases in high school graduation rates, and a stronger future workforce.

What should we do?

We need to invest now to ensure that our children have a strong foundation- they are healthy, safe, supported and school-ready.